I'm looking to buy a new hardware and software for retail business. I've been quoted the J2-615 for around £2000 with the barcode scanner, cash drawer, receipt printer and retail software. I have also been quoted the posiflex KS6185 for about £2600 which includes the same items in the other quote. I have been told that the posiflex hardware is better but I want a good opinion before I make a move as this epos system is going to stay with me for at least 10 years. This is my first time and I don't really know where to go and who to ask and where I can get a good software from. These quotes have come from ITD Software in Stockport

Please can someone advise me if these hardware are good for retail purposes or if I should look elsewhere and also where I can get good retail software. I can't find much information on the internet and have done plenty of research. I also want ecommerce with the epos system but I don't know if this is a good move.

Where I work we normally use J2 630s and Posiflex KS6715s.
There really isn't much between them technically wise. The J2 has a slightly smaller footprint, but the Posiflex has a cover that you can put over the usb etc connections (very useful!!).
Both come with 3 year return to base warranties too, so it's really down to what you prefer the look of. However my company charge the same price for both models.

If you were to buy your only one and use it for at least 10 years, what hardware would you go for and who would you go to for the software?

Ten years is a long time for pc based software. The main problem being if you keep the software up to date then it will eventually be too much for the machine to run. For example, I have some customers who have kept up to date only to find it now runs slowly as the software has been made to take advantage of faster processors and greater ram space.
Another route you might want to think about is a rom based machine with a back office software e.g. a Sharp 700 or 800 series with ECR/Stock manager software on the back office pc, or the Sam4s machines with Samstock.
It depends on how big your business is and what sort of offers you do, how many lines you would carry etc. As in pc based machines can store a lot more items and can do fancier offers.
I know I'm probably making it worse by saying these things, but it's just some suggestions.

I think you have to search on internet which provide you best information about good epos hardware and software. EPOS stand for electrical point of sale system it is supported both hardware and software.

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Point of sale

Who are you?

EPoS Stands for "Electronic Point of Sale" - a small difference, but a fairly crucial one for anybody technically minded.

Browen is a relatively new "contributer" who is just itching to get himself removed! he as now been warned several times and probably won't be around this time next week!

ok to the question
10 years is VERY optimistic! i would say 8 is about upper limits but that is only in my experience - others may disagree. by then - failures may well make the system very tiresome.

in terms of hardware, rom based cash registers may be more durable but have less capacity in terms of products and functionality - ok for most small to medium sized businesses - Supermarkets have many lines and this could overload this type of register as the business expands.

pc based software has the advantage of being able to run on numerous different pieces of hardware.
more functionality and a huge capacity for product lines, electronic ordering and so on.

As a novice, its only fair to point out that people set out with good intentions of maintaining a pos system to aid with the business but when the amount of time and effort becomes aparent, many systems soon become very basic cash registers and all attempts at stock control go out of the window!

before shelling out huge amounts of cash, have you researched the amount of work involved in maintaining these systems and what it is that you want out of the system?

also, if you could post the type/size of your business, it would be easier to advise

I would recomend going with either the Panasonic (as used by McDonalds) JS925ws or a Poinduis 715?? (i think) and software i would look at whether or not ICRTouch would fulfill your needs as its versatile enough for both hospitality and retail and probably the most user friendly ive seen.

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Why are the best goal keepers German???......... Because they are all Hans..

I have been playing with cloud epos software and it's been very easy to setup and low cost and free if you are a small retailer.

I won't include links as I am not sure of the forum rules, but if you search with Google for "free cloud epos" there are a few, the one I have been testing is on the first page..

I can see the internet systems being excellent for those with multiple sites.

One thing I would say is that support is crucial and to try them all before you commit, call them and talk to them.